By Curtis Galbraith

Methane reduction plan Made in Alberta says Energy Minister

May 2, 2018 | 5:13 PM

Both the provincial and federal governments recently announced regulations for cutting methane emissions by the energy industry.
 
The target is to reduce these emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025.  
 
Energy Minister Marg-McCuaig Boyd says the government worked with industry and environment groups to come up with what she terms a Made in Alberta plan.
 
“Industry helped us with coming up with what’s affordable to them going forward. If we waited for a federal imposition of what we should do, that could have hurt jobs. Industry, environmental groups, and government came up with a plan that’s good for Alberta, made for our Alberta companies. We feel, and so do the companies, that we can do a lot of good work reducing those emissions rather quickly and that the faster we can do that,  that’s more money they don’t have to pay in compliance costs.”
 
The province released its regulations last Tuesday, the federal government last Thursday.
 
In a release, the province says it is giving the energy sector $2.3-billion worth of assistance to reduce emissions. That includes an exemption from carbon levy costs for five years that is worth $2-billion.